Azarenka advances easily at Indian Wells

Indian Wells, CA (Sports Network) - Top-seeded and defending Indian Wells
champion Victoria Azarenka earned a straight-set victory over Daniela
Hantuchova on Saturday in the second round at the $5.186 million BNP Paribas
Open.

Azarenka, the reigning Australian Open champ, needed just 92 minutes to
dispose of the two-time Indian Wells champion Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-1 on the
hardcourts at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The Belarusian right-hander continues her quest for her third WTA title of the
season when she takes on Kirsten Flipkens in the third round after the 28th-
seeded Belgian outlasted Monica Niculescu, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Fourth-seeded German Angelique Kerber bested Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-2 to
advance to the round of 32 where she will take on German Yanina Wickmayer, who
bounced back from a first set misstep to down Croatian qualifier Mirjana
Lucic-Baroni, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Samantha Stosur sent American wild card Madison Keys packing
with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph, while 11th-seeded Ana Ivanovic scorched American
teenager Taylor Townsend, 6-1, 6-2. Townsend was coming off a win in her WTA
debut in Friday's first round.

Ivanovic, a former world No. 1, will meet Mona Barthel in the third round
after the 24th-seeded German cruised past Kiki Bertens, 6-1, 6-4.

Stosur, meanwhile, advances to the round of 32 to face Shuai Peng, who earned
a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over Alexandra Dulgheru.

Unranked American Jamie Hampton upended 20th-seeded Su-Wei Hsieh, 6-3, 6-3 and
will take on the winner between 15th-ranked compatriot Sloane Stephens and
Urszula Radwanska.

Spanish qualifier Garbine Muguruza knocked off 17th-seeded Ekaterina Makarova,
6-3, 1-6, 6-4. Muguruza will take on Magdalena Rybarikova, who also came up
with an upset Saturday as she snuck past 16th-seeded Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 4-6,
6-2.